Johnny Almaraz is shooting for what would be a miracle in his first MLB Draft with Phillies

MATT SLOCUM, AP

Johnny Almaraz, the Philadelphia Phillies director of amateur scouting, speaks during a news conference before a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, June 3, 2015, in Philadelphia.

Johnny Almaraz, the Philadelphia Phillies director of amateur scouting, speaks during a news conference before a baseball game against the Cincinnati Reds, Wednesday, June 3, 2015, in Philadelphia. (MATT SLOCUM, AP)

Johnny Almaraz, the Phillies director of amateur scouting, brings a new philosophy for the MLB Draft

Since Cole Hamels was drafted back in 2002, the Phillies have had very little success in the MLB First-Year player draft.

Only a handful of players they've drafted have made a career for themselves at the big league level, and out of those few, only Hamels remains with the team.

And since 2002, none of their first round picks have panned out. Sure, J.P. Crawford (2013) and Aaron Nola (2014) look poised to end Philadelphia's recent draft day failures but it's still a little too early to be sure.

But even beyond Crawford and Nola, there should be hope for the future as the Phillies made a significant change in their scouting department at the end of last season, and with it, a new philosophy.

I used this space exactly one year ago to say that the only person in Philadelphia who had a seat just as hot as general manager Ruben Amaro Jr. was director of amateur scouting, Marti Wolever.

The Phillies’ new director of amateur scouting, Johnny Almaraz brings a new philosophy with him and is setting the bar high in his first MLB Draft with Philadelphia.

The Phillies’ new director of amateur scouting, Johnny Almaraz brings a new philosophy with him and is setting the bar high in his first MLB Draft with Philadelphia.

Almaraz brings with him a wealth of scouting experience. In his last job, he spent eight years with the Atlanta Braves, three as the director of Latin American operations and four as the director of international scouting and operations for the Atlanta Braves. Before that, he was in a number of different roles with the Cincinnati Reds for 16 years, including director of player personnel and director of player development.

Throughout his career he's signed a range of major league talent including Julio Teheran, Christian Bethancourt, Johnny Cueto, Adam Dunn, B.J. Ryan and Paul Bako.

What's refreshing, however, is what he says his thought process is heading into the draft.

"It's very basic," Almaraz said. "My philosophy is that I look for the best baseball players with the best ability. Very simple. And what that means, I'm pretty old school. You look for guys that possess baseball ability, which is knowing how to play the game. If they know how to play the game, then you look for the tools.

"You look to see whether they can run, they can throw. Can they hit and do they have any type of power? Of course, along that road with asking those questions to yourself you try to profile the corner guys and the middle of the field guys."

That's a shift from old thought where the Phillies took athletes who needed to be developed if they were to become successful at the major league level.

While we know what the philosophy is, Almaraz didn't give hints on any specific players the Phillies might take with their top pick, which is 10th overall. The Phillies could go in a number of directions with it in a draft that, on a whole, is considered weak.

Last year, the Phillies went with the LSU right-hander Nola, who was considered a hot prospect. He's been very successful in Double-A so far and he's on track to reach Philadelphia before the end of this season.

The Phillies don't necessarily need another fast-track player again this year and Almaraz said drafting a college player doesn't automatically mean they will rise up quickly through the ranks. It all depends on the ability, not the age, he said and we've seen that proven with the likes of Bryce Harper and Mike Trout.

Manager Ryne Sandberg has been told of some options the Phillies could go with, but like everyone else, will have to wait to see who is left when it comes time for the Phillies to choose.

Although, he did say it's more common for college players to reach the majors in a short amount of time.

"When you're talking about some college guys, you see that," Sandberg said. "You see it a little bit less with high school players that need three or four years of some seasoning. But some of the college players, that they play at that level, those guys can go quick."

Whether they go college or high school, fast-track or someone that needs time to develop, a power bat is one of their biggest needs. There's some power available, but not a ton and it's also something that Almaraz doesn't necessarily look for from players at this point.

"There is power in the college ranks, very few at the high school level," Almaraz said. "The thing with me and power is that I like the ability to hit the baseball over somebody that has power. I think you have to be a good hitter before you can ever achieve your power. Power comes through maturity and strength later on. That said, there are very few hitters this year who have what we'd call above-average power. There's probably more hitters out there with just average power."

However, they really can't go wrong with picking the best available player, which they might end up doing if top-notch power isn't available when they make their first pick. The Phillies have plenty of needs. Even with the stacked rotation at Double-A Reading, they could go with another pitcher.

That's what Baseball America had them taking in their draft preview issue, right-hander Jon Harris out of Missouri State. But their online update, along with mock drafts from Sports Illustrated and Fangraphs all have the Phillies taking Kennesaw Mountain High School catcher Tyler Stephenson, a Georgia Tech commit.

That looks to be a smart pick if the Phillies go that route. SI notes Stephenson's right-handed power at the plate and he also fills a need at a position where there's plenty of question marks heading into the future. On MLB.com's top 30 prospects for the Phillies, only one catcher is listed, 19-year-old Deivi Grullon, who is at Class-A Lakewood and if he pans out, isn't slated to arrive at the major league level until at least 2018.

While the draft may be weak, and it's Almaraz's first one, he has set the bar high.

"My definition of a successful draft is getting somebody in the first, second and third round who are going to impact the major league level four to five years from now or sooner," Almaraz said.

Considering the performance in the draft over the last decade, if Almaraz pulls that off in year one, it should be deemed a miracle. Just changing the philosophy at this point is a success.